How We Spent 72 Hours in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of those countries you want to come back to many times. It’s not just that it’s beautiful, it’s very progressive in terms of transportation and efficiency. It’s also so dynamic. It is what New York is to the States, and London is to Europe, HONG KONG is the entrance to Asia!

Day One in Hong Kong

Flying to Hong Kong from the Philippines is very easy, lots of international flights go there. You can book through Cebu Pacific which is what we did. We used Agoda.com to find our hotel accommodation so we could find the best rates possible.

Tip: If you are planning a trip make sure you download the Tripadvisor app so you can download an offline map of the city.

We booked an early flight to Hong Kong for our 72hour challenge and arrived at the International airport at 8 AM. We took the train to the main city, and from there we took free shuttle buses to our respective hotel. From the moment we entered their city, there was no hassle or stress. It was like they knew we were coming!

After an early check-in at our hotel, we left our bags and off we went to explore this beautiful city.

Tip: Make sure where you are staying is near at least one station from the awesome subway system.

Our hotel was within walking distance from the subway. We were also near to the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Walk of Fame, so we went there first. We saw Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee’s hand prints there. You really have to be keen to find them though.

The view of the Hong Kong skyline was terrific. They say it is even more beautiful at night, but we had other plans for the evening. We also managed to see the Space Museum and the famous Clock Tower, which is mighty grand by the way.

Next, we had our lunch in McDonald’s. Our tummies were not yet ready to try the delicious cuisine on offer. Then we went to the Victoria Peak or just “THE PEAK” which was at the other side of the city. We took the subway, at first we were very confused about the railways and connections, but we soon got the hang of it so don’t be scared to use it yourself if you go to Hong Kong. Instructions and maps were all over the place.

There were audio tour guides/kits on offer, through which you could learn more about the different places you could spot from way up there.

The best way to enjoy the ultimate PEAK experience is by purchasing the Peak Tram Sky Pass. It offers a bumpy ride on the famous Peak Tram and fabulous panoramic views of Hong Kong from the famous SKY TERRACE 360. Riding the PEAK TRAMWAY, I got one of the best views I have ever seen in my whole life. It cost around HK$88.00 for return tickets, a single journey was around HK$75.

There are no words which can do justice to the beauty of Hong Kong from up there. Down below, it was already gorgeous, but from up there, you get a completely different perspective on this amazing city.

Victoria Peak also houses the Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum where you can marvel at life-like wax models of famous celebrities. To visit the museum you need a separate ticket from the one we purchased though. If you want to stand in the presence of the former President Obama be sure to allow time to go.

Day Two in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Disneyland was the next destination on our trip. Disneyland is a big attraction so we allotted the whole day for our adventures. We rode the Disney subway to get there, and met Mickey Mouse’s friends on board so it was a great appetiser for what was to come. It was a long walk from the station to the main entrance, but it was a gorgeous walk so it was worth it. There were fountains, huge hedges and the most photographed area of the park, the “Welcome to Disneyland” sign.

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”

– Walt Disney

What a day! A tip from a fellow traveller was to arrive early, get the map of the whole park, and the other map with the schedule of the shows and live theatres. That way you don’t waste any time travelling from one end to another, and you can maximise your time and watch all the shows.

From Lion King, to Toy Story, to Lilo and Stitch, we watched all the shows that day! All except Frozen because we were already at the far end of park and we decided not to spend time going back to the entrance for it. Our day ended with fireworks from the famous Disney Princess castle you always see before a Disney movie. It was absolutely beautiful complete with Tinkerbell flying around.

Day Three in Hong Kong

All too soon it was our last day. We had booked our flight late in the evening. So we still have time to enjoy one more park, this time the Hong Kong Ocean Park. This park is not Disneyland, that’s for sure. While Disney is really for kids, Ocean Park is for the grown ups. The rides feel more dangerous and are more for adrenaline junkies, though one of the highlights of our day there was that we saw a Panda!

No, there really was a real one…!

I’d like to think that Ocean park is one big island, because when we were there we had to ride a train underground just to get to the other side of the park which took about 4-5 minutes. Once there though, you can see dolphin shows and sea lions. This was also the part of the park where you could try the most “dangerous” rides of the park. And yes, we tried them. We were screaming our lungs out from every ride we took!

Sadly, our time in Hong Kong came to an end and we headed back to the airport. We were a bit late because there were no buses to take us to the Airport Train Express. Then, when we eventually got there, we got a bit lost for hurrying (so make sure you allow more time than we did if you go!). However, thankfully, we made it on time for our flight back to Manila.

Our 72 hours in Hong Kong were certainly memorable. This incredible city has so much to offer and we are definitely planning to go back again. Not just for 3 days next time, maybe for a whole week of fun and Hong Kong mayhem!

An earlier version of this blog post was first published on EVERY TWOSDAY (@everytwosday) on March 25, 2017 by John Harvey Perez (@johnharveyperez)

John Harvey Perez writes a Travel & Lifestyle Blog called EVERY TWOSDAY.

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John Harvey Perez

John Harvey Perez is a travel & lifestyle blogger and all round lover of life. Originally from the Philippines but currently living in Dublin, he founded the travel blog Every TwosDay with his girlfriend. They particularly enjoy writing reviews of restaurants and hotels and making travel and lifestyle videos. In May 2017 he is travelling back to the Philippines so we're looking forward to reading about his adventures there.

The Wanderlust Post is a travel & lifestyle blog, founded by TV Psychologist & Life Coach Honey Langcaster-James, with regular contributions from guest bloggers and fellow Wanderlusters. We share our travel tales, reviews and recommendations with you in order to inspire you to go out and explore the world, enjoying all that it has to offer because, after all, it's a wanderlust world...